THE HAGUE, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Dutch motorists increasingly filled up at petrol stations across the border in the first half of this year, according to data released by Dutch central bank De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) on Monday.
During the period, the number of card transactions by Dutch consumers at petrol stations in Germany and Belgium rose by 20 percent to more than 25 million, while the total amount spent increased by 32 percent to approximately 1.5 billion euros (1.7 billion U.S. dollars). The figure includes other spending at petrol stations, such as refreshments and electric vehicle charging.
By contrast, the number of transactions at petrol stations in the Netherlands fell by three percent in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, to 187 million, DNB said. The total amount spent, however, rose by four percent to 6.6 billion euros (7.5 billion U.S. dollars), possibly due to higher fuel prices.
Price differences were likely one factor behind the increase in cross-border purchases, DNB explained. At times, average petrol and diesel prices in the Netherlands were 20 cents or more per litre higher than in neighbouring countries.
Fuel prices have risen sharply in recent weeks in the Netherlands. According to Dutch consumer platform UnitedConsumers, a litre of petrol cost 2.73 euros (3.1 U.S. dollars) on average on Monday, while diesel cost 2.785 euros (3.17 U.S. dollars) per litre, higher than prices in Germany and Belgium.
